Pencil-sharpening machine.



E. P. WEBSTER. PENCIL SHARPENING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21.19M.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

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176% m a I 46 1mm as WITNESSES: IN IZEyOR 197 @AWOR/VEY E. P. WEBSTER.PENCIL SHARPENING MACHINE. APPLlCATlON FILED FEB. 21. 19M- l,223,541.Patented Apr. 24,1917.

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WITNESSES: I INVENTOR wa fi ir 64; M QW gm i; ATTORNEY EDGAR P. WEBSTER,OF BRIDGEPOR'I, CONNECTICUT.

PENCIL-SHARPENING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr, 24, 191?.

Application filed February 21, 1914. Serial No. 820,107.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDGAR RNVEBSTER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Pencil- Sharpening Machines; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to pencil sharpening machines and it consists incertain details of construction to be more fully set forth in thefollowing specification.

Referring to the drawings wherein the same figures of reference indicatelike parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the machine frame;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the frame;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine showing the cutter carryinglevers partially depressed, and broken view of the standard;

Fig. 4 is an upper plan view of the machine;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the actuating lever for the pencil holdingmechanism or chuck;

Fig. 6 is a detail broken outer View of one of the cutter carryinglevers;

Fig. 7 is a detail end elevation of the cut ter carrying lever shown inFig. 6, looking in the direction of arrow a,

Fig. 8 is a detail front elevation of the radial guide for the cuttercarrying levers;

Fig. 9 is a detail side elevation of the radial guide;

Fig. 10 is a detail upper plan View of the radial guide;

Fig. 11 is a detail elevation of the pencil holding chuck;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged detail upper plan view of the pencil holdingchuck;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged detail plan view of the washer for actuating thegripping fingers of the pencil holding chuck;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged detail of the gripping fingers and the wire onwhich they are strung; and

Fig. 15 is an enlarged detail side elevation of one of the grippingfingers.

Fig. 16 is an enlarged front elevation of the machine showing the cuttercarrying levers partially depressed, and a section of the handleoperating lever on line 16 of Fig. 4.

The machine frame comprises the base 1, standard 2 and head 3. 4, Fig.4, is a short shaft journaled in the bearing 5, Fig. 1, and theflattened ends 6, Fig. 3, are embraced by the forked ends of the cuttercarrying levers 7 and 8. Pins 9 and 10 project through the levers andprojecting ends of the shaft 4, thus forming a universal joint for thelevers, In other Words, the levers will not only have a radial movementwith the shaft to which they are connected, but they Will also have acertain lateral movement on the pins 9 and 10 to conform to the concavesides 3 of the head 3, Figs. 1 and 2. To the tail-piece of the pin 10 issecured the retractile spring 11, Fig. 3, adapted to return the levers 7and S to their normal elevated position.

The levers 7 and 8 carry the cutters 12 and 13 seated in recesses 14formed in their outer faces. The cutters are made of thin metal and aresecured to the levers by clamps 15, Figs. 3 and 16. The cutting ends ofthe cutters are slightly concave to conform to the concave surfaces ofthe head of the frame.

The guide 16 is attached to the end of the head 3 by screws 17. Thisguide has the inwardly turned flanges 18, Figs. 3, 9 and 10, to serve aslateral guides for the cutter carrying levers, as follows: On the endsof each of said levers are the curved raised portions 19, Figs. 3, 6 and7, adapted to ride against the inside face of these flanges and thuscause the cutters to follow the contour of the concave sides of the headby reason of the convex form of these flanges.

The hollow pencil holding chuck, Fig. 11, comprises the toothed collar20 adapted to be secured to the reduced portion 21 of the head by thescrew 22. This collar loosely embraces the reduced body portion 23 ofthe chuck to permit said body, and the parts connected therewith, tofreely rotate therein.

24 is a plate secured to the body and having the peripheral teeth 25adapted to be engaged by the upper end of the lever 26, Fig. 5,presently to be more fully described, and the teeth 27 depending fromthe underside of the plate adapted to engage the teeth of the collar 20to prevent a reverse movement of the rotatable part of the chuck andalso to serve as means for elevating said rotatable part, presently tobe more fully described. The spring 28, located between the shoulder 29of the body and the inside shouldered portion of the collar 20, servesto keep the teeth 27 and the teeth in the upper surface of said collarin normal engagement with each other.

Within the hollow shoulder 29 is located the wire 30, Figs. 12 and 14,on Which are journaled the pairs of pencil holding fingers '31 operatingwithin the slots 32 in the lower part 33 of the body portion of thechuck. 34 is an actuating washer for the gripping fingers having theprojections 35 adapted to project through the slots 32 and bear againstthe underside of the gripping fingers to maintain their central positionwithin the body of the chuck through the medium'of the spring 36. 37 isa cap adapted to hold said spring in place.

The pencil 36, Fig. 3, is first passed through the chuck expanding thegripping fingers against the tension of the spring 36,

Fig. 11, and resting on the ledge 38-see also Fig. 1. The cuttercarrying levers are then depressed by means of the handle portion '39 oflever 8 to bring the cutters into cutting engagement with the end of thepencil. The lever 26, Fig. 5, is journaled on the body of the screw 40,Figs. 1 and 4, with itsupper end 41 in engagement with the peripheralteeth of the plate 24, with its lip 41 overhanging the cutter carryinglever 8 and is actuated by the latter lever in its upward movement topartially turn the pencil holding chuck in the direction of arrow Z),Fig. 4. This partial rotation of the chuck will cause the inclineportion of the depending teeth 27 of the plate 24 to ride up the inclineportion of the teeth 42 of the collar 20 and thus lift and turn thechuck at the same time and thus present a fresh cutting surface for thecutters on the neXt downward stroke of the levers 7 and 8. This raisingand turning of the pencil holding chuck at the completion of eachcutting strokeis important in view of the fact that there is nopossibility of the pencil becoming wedged in the opening 43 of the head.As soon as the depending teeth of the plate 24 has passed the teeth ofthe collar 20, the body of the chuck will be depressed by the beforementioned spring 28, Fig. 11, and the depending teeth of said plate andcollar will re' e'ngage to prevent a reverse movement of the chuck body.

The concavity of the sides of the head 3 gradually decreases toward thelower end of said head and leaves said lower end practically straight,and of a width adapted to represent the diameter of the lead portion ofthe pencil. In other words, as fast as the wooden portion of the pencilis cut away,

said pencil will move down the opening 43,

until the lead 44 rests on the bottom of the scent of the pencil, thewooden portion will be gradually tapered, and the lead, instead of beingbrought to a needle point, as is the case with all pencil sharpeners, sofar as known, the lead will be practically straight, and will have ablunt instead of a needle point. On the downward stroke of the cuttercarrying levers, the underside of lever 8 will engage the edge 46, Fig.5, of the chuck actuating lever 26 and throw the upper end of the saidchuck actuating lever out of contact with the toothed plate 24 inreadiness to be reengaged by the upper edge of lever 8 to rotate thechuck in the manner as before described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A pencil sharpening device having a head provided with oppositelylocated concave surfaces merging into straight surfaces toward the lowerend of the head, the distance between said straight surface being equalto the proposed diameter of the lead of the pencil, an opening in thehead to receive the pencil, an oscillating shaft, cutter carrying leversmounted on the shaft and oscillating therewith and also having a lateralmovement thereon, and a stationary guide engaged by said levers formaintaining the cutters in the path of said concave and straightsurfaces. I

2. A pencil sharpening device having a, head provided with oppositelylocated concave and straight surfaces, said head having an opening, apencil holding chuck rotatably mounted therein, v a transverse openingthrough the concave and straight surfaces and having a seat therein forsupporting the end of a pencil, oscillatory cutter carrying levers, anda stationary guide engaged by said levers to positively maintain thecutters in the path of said concave and straight surfaces.

3. A pencil sharpening device having a head provided with oppositelylocated concave and straight surfaces, an opening in the head, a pencilholding chuck rotatably mounted therein, an oscillating shaft, cuttercarrying levers mounted on the shaft and oscillating therewith and alsohaving a lateral movement thereon, a stationary guide engaged by thelevers to positively maintain the cutters in the path of said concaveand straight surfaces, and means for rotating and elevating the pencilholding chuck on the upward movement of the levers.

4. A pencil sharpening device comprising a frame provided with concavesurfaces and an opening to receive a pencil, oscillatory cutter carryinglevers, a guide for maintaining the cutter carrying parts of the leversagainst said concave surfaces, a pencil holding chuck rotatably mountedin the pencil 10 of the cutter carrying levers to slightly r0- tate thechuck and cause the same to be temporarily lifted on the up stroke ofthe cutter carrying levers.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

EDGAR P. WEBSTER.

Witnesses GEORGE N. SEARS, FREDK H. BECKWITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents Washington, I). G.

